Process for purifying blast-furnace and other gases.



a F. SEPULGHRB. PROCESS FOR PURIFYING BLAST FURNACE ANDOTHER GASES. YAPPLICATION IILED NOV. 2, 1908.

970,654. Patenfied Sept. 20, 1910.

c aftoznup Original application filed January 6, 1908, Serial No.409,520. Divided and this application filed November FRANQOIS SEPULCHRE,OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

PROCESS FOR PURIFYING BLAST-FURNACE 'AND OTHER GASES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

2, 1908. Serial N0. 460,781.

' ing at Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Purifying Blast-Furnace and other Gases,of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved method or process ofpurifying gases by removing therefrom impurities commonly found thereinin either solid or liquid form; and is particularly adapted for treatingheated gases such as are derived from blast furnaces for example. It hasbeen customary to separate such impurities by injecting into a body ofgas a spray produced by breaking a stream of water by contact with thewalls of, or suitable plates or devices arranged in, the purifyingapparatus, the fine particles of such spray acting to absorb more orless completely the solid or liquid impurities. This process however hasnot been entirely satisfactory when employed With gases having arelatively high temperature, because more or less of the water of thespray is vaporized by the heat and tends'to saturate the gas, therebyreducing the calorific value thereof. Further,

it has been necessary with the process here-' tofore proposed to employsome means in addition to the spray for removing the impurities from thebody of gas, such for example as a body of liquid through which the gasis passed after being subjected to the action of a spray.

To avoid the objections incident to the rocesses heretofore employed thepresent invention contemplates forming the purifying spray, by bringingtogether streams 'of suitable liquid and gas both under such a pressurethat the spray produced will effect a minute or complete division of theliquid as well as a thorough and intimate mixing of the articles ofspray with the gas to be puri ed.

In the accompanying drawing there is illustrated more or lessconventionally, in vertical section an apparatus adapted for carryin outthe process of this invention and whlch apparatus forms thesubject-matter of the application filed January 6, 1908, Serial Number409,520, of which the present one is a division.

I The purifier illustrated comprises a vertical tubular body a closed at(the top, and the lower end of which terminates a shout distance abovethe surface of a body of liquid cl contained within a suitablereceptacle. 'ithin the lower end of the tube a is arranged a conicaldeflector c and with said tube at or near its top communicates a gasinlet duct or pipe I). The lower portion of the body a is surroimded bya casing which is open at the bottom and extends beneath the surface ofthe liquid (l; and with said casin communicates a gas delivery pipe e.Within the communicating ends of the tube a and gas inlet pipe 7) issituated an injector f, and liquid is supplied thereto through a pipe Asbefore explained, according to this invention the liquid entering thepurifier through the pipe g as well as the gas supplied through a pipeh, is under such pressure that the spray produced by the mixing of saidstreams will by itself effect a separation of the particles ofimpurities from the body of gas.

Any suitable gas may be employed for producing the spray, the nature ofthat selected depending on the character of gas which is to be purifiedand the circumstances under which the process is to be carried out. Inthe purification of blast furnace gases, for example, it would not beracticable to employ either compressed air or carbon dioxid underpressure for producing the spray as the use of the former might createanexplosive mixture and the latter would act to reduce the calorificproperties of the gas. For such use it is preferable to employ as thespray creating medium blastfurnace gas, which may or may not havebeenpreviously purified. Therefore in the apparatus illustrated the pipeh is connected with a compressor I: which is in turn connected with thegas delivery pipe 6 of the purifier.

In the operation of the apparatus illustrated therefore a portion of theurified gas passing through the pipe 0 wil be withdrawn by the action ofthe com ressor 7: and forced through the pipe h to e discharged into theinjector f simultaneously with a stream of water delivered by the pipeg. The expansion of the compressed gas acts to produce a very finelydivided spray and a maximum agitation and intimate mixing of the spraywith the gas entering the apparatus through the pipe b so that the solidor liquid particles contained in the gas are absorbed by the spray to amuch greater extent than by the methods heretoforein use. Owing to thedeflector c the gas is caused to leave the tube a in the form of a thinsheet communicates with a suitable storage receptacle or an apparatus inwhich the purified gas is to be used.

While the process, as hereinbefore described, is particularly applicablefOIf purifying gas derived from blast furnaces it will be evident thatthe atomizing of the liquid admitted through the pipe 9 may be effectedby any suitable gas which has been compressed to the required degree,the nature of the gas used for such purpose depending on the gas to bepurified and the liquid which is to constitute the spray. For instancethe process maybe employed for purifying gas obtained from coke andother ovens. By this process also it is possible to collect thebyproducts of coke ovens or furnaces by properly treating the gasesobtained therefrom. That is tar held .in suspension in gas may beremoved by the action of a tar spray, am-

moniacal gas may be separated by the action of a spray of water, andbenzol by the action of an oil spray, etc.

Among the important. advantages of the improved process the followingare noted:

(1) By the action ofa relatively small quantity of compressed gas thereis obtained a very complete atomizingof the liquid supplied to thepurifier so that a spray having a high mechanical efficiencyis'produced.

(2) The expansion of the gas durin the formation of the spray and thepuri ying operation acts to lower the temperature of the gas beingtreated and thereby reduces instead of increasing the amount of gas that.is converted into vapor during the operation. (3) As various gases maybe used to produce the spray it is possible to use a gas of suchcharacter and quality as to materially assist in the purification. Inthe particular process descrlbed herein the gas for produc ing the sprayis derived from the same source and .is therefore -of the same characteras that which is treated.

It will be seen that the process or method herein described differsradically from those heretofore employed, in which the gas to be cleanedis caused to travel through a body of liquid. tomary to employ a sprayproduced by an injector, but the purpose or function of this spray hasbeen simply to act as a conveyer will be seen that the spray itselfconstitutes the cleaning or purifying medium. Both the liquid and thegas, by which the spray is produced, are under such pressure that thereis obtained a spraywhich so completely envelops and saturates theparticles of impurities contained in-the gas that they are separatedfrom the gas solely by the action of the spray, without necessitatingpassing the gas through a body of liquid or subecting it to the actionof any other means,

as has been required by the methods and.

processes heretofore employed.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. The herein described process of purifying gas consisting in passing abody of gas through a suitable conduit and subjecting it therein to theaction of a spray formed by con'ibining streams of suitable liquid andgas which has passed through said conduit, both liquid and gas beingunder pressure, and causing the gas escaping from said conduit to passover a body of liquid in the form of a thin sheet.

2'. The herein described process of purifying gas consisting insubjecting a body of gas to the action of a spray formed by combiningstreams of siutable liquid and gas, both under pressure, and causing thegas saturated by said spray to pass over a body of liquid in the form ofa thin sheet.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

v FRANQOIS SEPULCHRE. Witnesses:

EMILE Don, ALPH. LERUTH.

In such processes it has been cus cording to the present invention,however, it I

